President Bah Ndaw and Prime Minister Moctar Ouane, tasked with steering the return to civilian rule after a coup last August, resigned in the presence of mediators visiting the military base where they were being held, said Baba Cisse, special advisor to junta boss Assimi Goita.
Mali's interim president and prime minister resigned two days after they were detained and stripped of their powers in what appeared to amount to the country's second coup in nine months.
On Wednesday, an aide to Goïta, Baba Cisse, said: âThe president and his prime minister have resigned. Negotiations are ongoing for their liberation and the formation of a new government,â in comments seen by Reuters.
The removal of both civilian leaders and the armyâs swift re-formation of the transitional government will probably consolidate the militaryâs power before elections next year. The moves come amid a visit by a delegation from the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas), which helped broker the transition agreement and is pressing to resolve the latest crisis.
Maliâs military leaders have acted in defiance of outraged international allies and opposition and civil society groups.
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Military officials in Mali detained the president, prime minister, and defense minister of the interim government on Monday, according to UN and African Union officials. This worsens an already chaotic political situation in a country beset by an Islamic insurgency.
President Bah Ndaw, Prime Minister Moctar Ouane, and Defense Minister Souleymane Doucoure were all detained and taken to a military base in Kati outside the capital city of Bamako.
Their detention happened an hour after a government reshuffle resulted in Interior Security Minister Modibo Kone and Defense Minister Sadio Camara, two members of the military junta that had seized power in a coup last summer, losing their positions in the interim government. No reason was given for the junta supporters’ ouster which suggests discord within the interim government.